However, the South Coast Air Quality Management District has its own vote scheduled a day later and its staff has recommended regulations that would prohibit the fire rings within 700 feet of homes, including all 50 of the pits Newport Beach wanted to remove.

The Newport Beach city manager has said the application was withdrawn because of the back-to-back votes that could render the Coastal Commission's decision pointless a day after it is made.

Newport Beach residents have sought to ban the pits, saying the smoke drifts over and pollutes their homes. But neighboring cities, primarily Huntington Beach, want to preserve them to preserve traditions and tourist dollars.

The issue has brought national attention and statewide debate. The California Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution in May supporting the fire rings as a "time-honored" and "important beach attraction." Orange County supervisors delivered a similar resolution.